In this new local history podcast, Long Beach Public Library explores the fascinating--and sometimes unbelievable--stories that have helped make Long Beach the great and unique city it is. Buckle up! This is not your grandmother's local history podcast!
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Long Beach Public Library Podcasts
Webchat Wednesdays are conversations with local and widespread makers about their crafts, creative processes, and perspectives. Join the Studio guides from the Long Beach Public Library as we talk with designers, builders, scientists, and artists. And follow us on YouTube at Long Beach Public Library and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Roy Beebe and His Incredible "Cosmic Ray" Machine!: The 1940s Health Scam Guru Who Shook Up Long Beach
47:04
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Each day in the late 1940s, thousands of sick people visited the residential Long Beach home of Roy Beebe, a self-styled "scientist" whose homemade "cosmic ray" machine was said to cure all of mankind's ills. Beebe's "cosmic ray" laboratory and its growing army of true believers made national news as a normally quiet Long Beach neighborhood was ove…
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The Spruce Goose! Howard Hughes in Long Beach 1947
41:51
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With a wingspan as wide as a football field, the Spruce Goose was the largest plane ever built. The craft—designed by eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes and made out of wood—was intended for use in WWII, but the plane wasn't finished until after the war was already over. Under intense pressure from the government to show results, and still recover…
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Minerva's Mailbag! 1920s Letters from Young Women in Long Beach
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In 1923, the Long Beach Press began an advice column—Minerva's Mailbag, later changed to Tell It to Mary—geared toward the young women of Long Beach. What problems were vexing the teen girls and emerging adult women of Long Beach? Join us for an absolutely terrif discussion about flappers, dating, petting, loneliness, and upturned gender norms in a…
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It's money, murder, and madness in old timey Long Beach as our case goes to trial! Join us for the final installment of this tale of greed, guns, drugs, ice cream, oil scams, Charlie Chaplin, and Ponzi schemes among the upper class in Long Beach's golden age!By Long Beach Public Library
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Did a prominent Long Beach businessman get away with killing his wife and his business partner? Probably! Join us for a tale of greed, guns, drugs, ice cream, and con games as we deep-dive into a case of murder most foul among the elite business class in Long Beach's golden age!By Long Beach Public Library
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In June 1956, just days after his infamous hip-thrusting performance on the Milton Berle Show, young rocker Elvis Presley came to Long Beach to play the Municipal Auditorium and a near-riot broke out. What did Long Beach teens and grown-ups think of Elvis and this new dangerous thing called rock and roll?…
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In this episode of Webchat Wednesdays, the Long Beach Public Library Studio guides talk with Alex Evans and Missy Steele of the Bob Baker Marionette Theater. Alex Evans is the executive director and head puppeteer and Missy Steele is the director of operations of Los Angeles’s oldest children’s theater company. For more information, you can visit t…
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The Long Beach Public Library Studio guides talk with Jeremy Schott in this episode of Webchat Wednesdays. Schott is the owner of The Dark Art Emporium, an art gallery/oddity shop in downtown Long Beach. After being closed to the public during the pandemic, the Emporium is getting ready to open its new space with its lowbrow art and dark art. Searc…
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In this episode, the Studio guides at the Long Beach Public Library speak with John Adams, the Deputy Director of Biosphere 2 in Arizona. For over 25 years, John has worked at one of the world’s most unique facilities dedicated to the research and understanding of global scientific issues. Learn about the many different biomes at the facility and w…
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Josh Zubkoff and Srikanth Guttikonda are co-founders of Looking Up Arts Foundation, a San-Francisco-based non-profit that creates interactive art installations. In this episode of Webchat Wednesdays, we talk with Josh and Sri about community-driven and accessible art installation and what their (literal and figurative) biggest challenges are, from …
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Jorge Mujica is an artist based in Southern California. He is the director and curator of CACTtUS, the Creative Arts Coalition to Transform Urban Space.By LBPL
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A self-taught designer, builder, and entrepreneur, Mariah Hoffman has spent years mindfully crafting her tiny house on wheels. From the physical home that she has built to the urban design projects that she manages, Mariah's work engages with intentional space on a personal and community level. Micro Modula is a lifestyle brand and tiny house build…
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On July 12, 1922, two young women spent the day in a Long Beach speakeasy, drinking and commiserating about their unfaithful husbands. That evening, on a remote road in Los Angeles, one of those women would beat a romantic rival to death with a hammer. The brutal murder case became one of Southern California's very first trials of the century, with…
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On July 12, 1922, two young women spent the day in a Long Beach speakeasy, drinking and commiserating about their unfaithful husbands. That evening, on a remote road in Los Angeles, one of those women would beat a romantic rival to death with a hammer. The brutal murder case became one of Southern California's very first trials of the century, with…
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Blanca Diaz is a gardener, teacher, and California native plant expert. They are the native plant coordinator for the Long Beach Office of Sustainability and the manager of Willow Springs Park. In this episode of Webchat Wednesdays, we talk with Blanca about the importance of ethnobotany, opportunities and resources offered through the Long Beach O…
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Suzanne Greenberg’s collection of short stories, Speed-Walk and Other Stories, won the Drue Heinz Literature Prize, chosen by Rick Moody, and was a finalist for the John Gardner Fiction Book Award. Her fiction, creative essays and poetry have appeared in a number of publications, including The Washington Post Magazine, Mississippi Review, West Bran…
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Jason Vega has been working in the video games industry for many years, with a focus on promoting underrepresented voices in game development. He is the founder and director of the Latinx Games Festival, which took place last year in Long Beach at the Museum of Latin Art and will be held virtually this year and also co-organized Game Devs of Color …
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David Hedden is a designer based in Long Beach who has been involved with a variety projects within the community, including Urban Agriculture + Aquaponics, Sustainable Design, Art Installations, and Makerspaces.By LBPL
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Carole Frances Lung is a textile artist, performance artist, and a Professor of Fashion, Fiber and Materials at Cal State LA. Through her work, and the work of her alter ego Frau Fiber, she advocates for fair labor practices + sustainability within the garment industry .By LBPL
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Sayon Syprasoeuth is an interdisciplinary artist, focusing on his personal story as a refugee from Cambodia. He grew up in Thai refugee camp, and emigrated to the United States at the age of seven. His work address past and present issues; triggered by memories of war and trauma, beliefs, spiritual dimensions and life in contemporary time in the Un…
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The Pike Mummy!: The Unbelievable Tale of the Dead Body in the Fun House
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In 1976, a film crew for The Six Million Dollar Man was prepping for a shoot in the Laff-in-the-Dark fun house at the Pike in Long Beach when they discovered that a wax dummy hanging from a noose was actually the real human body of an embalmed gunslinger shot by a posse in 1911. Wha? Join us as we explore this amazing, truly strange story and how c…
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The Wrigley Ocean Marathon!: 1927's Brutal Swimming Race From Catalina to the California Mainland
21:36
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1927’s Wrigley Ocean Marathon was an epic and brutal swimming race from the island of Catalina to the mainland of California, a feat never before recorded. Many of the world’s most famous swimmers came to Long Beach to train and compete for the race’s $25,000 prize. In this episode, we’ll look at how two virtually unknown swimmers—George Young of C…
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Babe Ruth Gets Arrested in Long Beach!, Part Two
15:48
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In 1927, legendary baseballer Babe Ruth was arrested before his scheduled appearance at the State Theater, a vaudeville house in Long Beach, California. In this two-part episode, we take a deep dive into the Sultan of Swat's epic visit to Long Beach--complete with Prohibition-era boozing, duck hunting, and an unhinged plane flight to make it to the…
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Babe Ruth Gets Arrested in Long Beach!, Part One
14:56
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In 1927, legendary baseballer Babe Ruth was arrested before his scheduled appearance at the State Theater, a vaudeville house in Long Beach, California. In this two-part episode, we take a deep dive into the Sultan of Swat's epic visit to Long Beach--complete with Prohibition-era boozing, duck hunting, and an unhinged plane flight to make it to the…
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Flagpole Sitter!: The Daredevil Clown Who Tried to Put Long Beach in the Record Books
17:31
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In the summer of 1948, a tightrope-walking clown named Ozzie Osborne climbed up the center pole of the Sky Ride attraction at the Pike in Long Beach, California. Sitting 200 feet in the air, Ozzie faced all manner of danger—from night bats to severely swollen legs to a serious challenge from his archrival in San Francisco—as he attempted to break t…
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Minnie the Whale, Part One: The Absolutely True Tale of the Whale Skeleton Who Came to Town
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In May 1897, two teenage boys saw a 63-foot fin whale foundering off the shore near Long Beach, California. With the help of some local donkeys, the boys were able to pull the massive whale on shore. This is the story of that whale and how its skeleton became a beloved local celebrity, helping put Long Beach on the map in the city’s early days. Joi…
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Minnie the Whale, Part Two: The Absolutely True Tale of the Whale Skeleton Who Came to Town
15:03
15:03
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In May 1897, two teenage boys saw a 63-foot fin whale foundering off the shore near Long Beach, California. With the help of some local donkeys, the boys were able to pull the massive whale on shore. This is the story of that whale and how its skeleton became a beloved local celebrity, helping put Long Beach on the map in the city’s early days. Joi…
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